The Canadian Coast Guard in an internal report says its fleet is so old it now spends a third of a billion a year on maintenance as “30 percent of vessels have less than five years left.” Defence Minister Bill Blair counts Coast Guard spending in claiming Canada is on a path to meeting minimum NATO requirements for military preparedness.

“The Canadian Cost Guard fleet is aging as vessels approach and exceed their intended end of service life,” said an Evaluation Of Fleet Procurement And Maintenance. “Across the fleet 30 percent of vessels have less than five years left until they reach their end of service life.”

“Twenty-seven percent have exceeded their service life by up to 14 years and six percent have extended it by 17 to 36 years,” said the Evaluation. “As of 2023 the large fleet has reached 82 percent of its intended service life on average. The age, condition and obsolescence of Canadian Coast Guard vessels and their electronics and informatics infrastructure represent a key risk to program delivery